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Steve

Summer Holiday – Rendezvous at Jaga Food

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With friends travelling from nearby to Passikudah on their way to the Jetwing Lake at the same time as we were to be travelling the exact opposite journey for most of the distance, we looked for somewhere to meet up on our respective paths. With both parties departing at about the same time and Polonnaruwa the mid-point, lunch at Jaga Food was the obvious choice.

We first visited on 29th December as I wrote here – by coincidence following recommendation by the same friends whose company we would enjoy this time! Unlike our previous visit this one was enjoyed with heavy rain pouring down all around the open-sided dining area but we still enjoyed a lovely relaxing time and a good natter before continuing our respective journeys.

As well as being of lunch, the photos include two elephants, one seen either side of lunch and the latter so last-second that I barely had opportunity to whip out my smartphone; Misa photobombing; and the restaurant owner’s daughter.

Steve

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Steve

Summer Holiday – Pidurangala

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If Saturday had seen a 6:15am rise for Emi and myself, then Sunday saw an even earlier one at 04:30am for Rennie and me.  Our plan was to climb Pidurangala, the large rock mentioned in the previous blog post, and see Sigiriya as soon after sunrise as we could make it.  The original idea had actually been to be there for sunrise itself but this would have meant climbing in the pitch dark; not good at the best of times given unfamiliar steep and rocky terrain and the presence of venomous snakes, but even less-so given heavy rain during the night making the surface slippery.  

With Sung joining us and the four children fast asleep in bed, we commenced the climb in the pre-dawn half light, accompanied by four dogs who left us alone but seemingly wanting to let us know that they knew the way!  Initially on steep stone steps and unmade footpath through the trees, the final part of the climb became even steeper as it gave way to squeezing and stretching between and over large boulders; at least we could fully see what we we doing as by now the sun had just climbed above the horizon. 

Concerned with not wanting to damage my pocket camera (and very pleased that I had taken the decision to leave a heavy and highly valuable rucksack of DSLR and lenses in the hotel room), I’d taken a final part of the route that was initially quite straightforward but where the ultimate move prior to the summit was further up than I could raise my leg to the nearest knob of rock to push on – and with an overhang that meant I couldn’t heave myself up without banging my head.  Rennie and Sung were already up, so after I had taken the photo shown above she reached down to take my camera whilst Sung came down another way and cupped his hands for me to push one foot on; I was then up, too.

Wow – what a magnificent sight bathed in soft pinky-orange light for half an hour or so until the intensity of the day set it.  Well worth an early start just for the view, never mind the adventure getting there and the spectacle of monkeys eating berries from the tree canopies that rise to the summit and having a stand-off argument with the dogs stood on it!  Other than this brief noisy interlude it was just lovely silence interspersed with birdsong.  Another mindfulness moment to treasure.

Hot, sweaty and in need for shower we were back in time to take exactly this and then breakfast with the children.  A perfect start to the day.

Steve  

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Steve

Summer Holiday – Sigiriya

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Saturday morning saw a gentle rise for Rennie and Misa and an early rise for me and Emi, taking Sung, Surang and Teji to Sigiriya for their first climb in time for when the ticket office opened at 07:30am.   This is always a good idea because it permits the climb to be made before the fierce heat of the day (as I wrote previously, it is merely hot and sweaty!), and it is usually also good because it allows the long queues to be beaten.  This time though, we were the only people wanting to climb – and in the two and a half hours it took us to complete the round trip we saw a maximum of 20 other people – and half of those were groundsmen or hawkers selling drinks and tat.  Compare the pairs of photos above and you’ll see the difference that Covid-19 has made; two images from last Saturday and the corresponding images from our previous visit on 28th December last year.

The large rock in the near distance surrounded by trees is Pidurangala – and the subject of the next blog post to come.

Steve

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Summer Holiday – Jetwing Lake

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Our first hotel of this holiday was the Jetwing Lake near to Dambulla.  A crisp, clean and modern hotel, it is set within nature and is run to a high ecological standard.  This is high season, but a closed airport and a high volume of local cancellations meant that we had this 94 bedroom hotel all but to ourselves; times are as tough for the travel industry here as elsewhere but we really felt for the staff as much as what it must mean financially for the Jetwing Group.  To the latter’s credit, the staff have been retained across the various functions and the hotel is still maintained to exemplary standard – whether it be cleanliness, super cuisine, building and grounds maintenance or whatever.  With so few guests to care for (18 on our first night, about half occupancy on Saturday night with locals coming for a weekend away, and 10 on our final night), those who we spoke with admitted that they much prefer the buzz of a busy hotel to care for.

The photograph above was the view from our bedroom balcony, and in the gallery below, the cake a surprise arranged by Rennie for our Korean friend Sung; this was to celebrate marrying his Japanese fiancee Hiromi by video broadcast the Wednesday prior because she cannot yet travel to Colombo from Japan nor he and his children travel to her.  She briefly joined the dinner by video too, and we much look forwards to meeting her in person.  

The poolside photos are of a satisfied Rennie after completing her self-imposed challenge of swimming 11 lengths the first day, 22 the second and then 33 on the third.  Accompanied by a young guard of honour for the final stretch, she actually swam 36 lengths instead of 33 “just to be sure”  she’d swum the 2.5 kilometres that she intended.  Infact, with the pool being a long one at 74 metres, she had swum 2,664 metres – and 5,106 metres in total.  Bravo My Girl!

The waving hands are of Sung, Surang and Teji wishing us safe travels as we commenced our departure a few minutes before theirs.

Steve

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Summer Holiday – Kurunegala

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On 11th August 2011, we passed through Kurunegala whilst travelling from Kalpitya, and on 17th July this year passed through again, both times heading to Dambulla but this time from Negombo.  The Buddhist statue atop the huge rock that towers over the town was under construction previously but this time we were able to explore without hindrance.  The area is extensively wooded, and having reminded the children that numerous monkey colonies inhabit it we came across an infant being cared-for and another infant being carried beneath its mother whilst she walked along a power cable; an incredible display of balance!

Steve

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Summer Holiday – Buddhist statues

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Leaving the village of Bopitiya whilst en route to Dambulla, I noticed a lane with a long row of statues dressed as Buddhist monks.  I asked our driver to turn round and return so that I could investigate further and take the opportunity for photography.  What I found was that statues led from the temple of Bopitiya Sri Sudarshanarama Purana Viharaya back to the main road and made quite the spectacle that I\’d seen in the process.

Steve

Steve

Summer Holiday – Negombo Fish Market

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06:30am last Friday saw us depart home on our summer holiday, collecting our Japanese-Korean friends Sung, Surang and Teji on the way. A chance conversation the previous weekend had led to an impromptu decision that they’d join us for the first three nights at the Jetwing Lake, Dambullah. They would then return home by seperate vehicle, and we’d continue to the Sunrise by Jetwing at Passikudah for a further three nights before going to the EKHO hotel in Ella for two nights, and then a final night at the Grand Hotel, Nuwara Eliya. As I write this post we’re in the final night at Passikudah towards the end of a gentle stay by the sea.

Rather than one long blog post though, we’ll post several shorter ones about specific events – so here’s the first one about Negombo Fish Market.

Whenever we are normally heading North out of Colombo we take the Katunayake Expressway to make good progress but this time accepted the driver’s suggestion to take the Pamunugama road that runs along the very narrow and low-lying spit of land that borders the Negombo Lagoon. We’re glad that we did, having opportunity to observe a thriving fishing community and the very active Negombo fish market; hot and sweaty, noisy, chaotic and smelly, but welcoming and with a tremendous range of marine produce on sale, all of it landed within the previous couple of hours.  From unloading fishing boats, to selling what had been landed in the market, to drying fish on sheets laid on the beach it was a hive of industry.

Hopefully the photographs help to expand on the picture I have started to paint.

As the market is within 45 minutes of home when travelling outside peak times I will return both for more photography and to shop for a nice dinner menu.

Steve

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Mooove Over

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Katuwawala South during my journey home from Galle, yesterday.   Such a sight was commonplace during my first exposure to Sri Lanka 13 years ago but with the large increase in traffic has thankfully become much less-so since.  This bull and the herd it was part of appeared unperturbed as they nonchalantly meandered down the main road, but on Saturday evening as we passed in the opposite direction we had seen a cow in distress; surrounded by heavy traffic, and trailing a long rope from its neck that kept getting trapped under vehicles\’s wheels and jolting the cow\’s progress as a result.  If the vehicle in question became stationary, this gave rise to an impasse where nobody, cow included, was going anywhere.  Thankfully, a pedestrian saw this too and went to collect the rope up.

Steve

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